July 4th firework injuries roundup

The Dangers of FireworksSyracuse Police and fire departments hold a press conference at the Syracuse Fire Dept. Training Facility to demonstrate the dangers of illegal fireworks. The equivalent of a quarter stick of dynamite is exploded on a mannequin. Video by David Lassman

People all over the country celebrated the birth of America with fireworks. Every year, there are incidents reported of deaths and people sustaining injuries from firework explosions.

Here’s a July 4th firework injury roundup:

• In California, a "premature ignition" at the fireworks show above San Diego Bay caused the entire show to end within 15 seconds. Video of the big, bright fizzle is glowing strong on YouTube. [Associated Press]

• In Louisiana, a 19-year-old man was shooting off fireworks with friends when he tried to remove the fuse from a duct-taped cluster of 144 sparklers. His left hand was blown apart and he sustained "massive injuries" to his other hand, his arms and his legs. [Bayou Buzz]

• In Florida, fireworks exploding unexpectedly blew off a man's thumb at a party. The man loaded a firework mortar into a fiberglass tube, lit the fuse and held the tube upright, expecting it to rocket away. It exploded in his hands. [Tampa Bay Times]

• In New Hampshire, six adults and five children were injured when fireworks exploded on a back porch. Police removed more than 90 boxes of fireworks from the home. The incident is under investigation. [CBS Boston]

• In Washington, a 23-year-old man suffered burns and shrapnel damage to his upper body when a firework exploded in his face. He may lose his right eye. [Q13 Fox News]

• In Arkansas, a homemade cannon blew off a man's hand after the explosive detonated prematurely. The matter is under investigation. [Associated Press]

• In New York, a yacht full of fireworks watchers capsized off New York's Long Island on the Fourth of July, killing three children and sending 24 others into the Long Island Sound, where many were rescued by fellow boaters, police said Thursday. [The Associated Press]

• In Kansas, a volunteer was killed while cleaning up after the Lansing Fourth of July fireworks show. Crews were disposing of fireworks that had not discharged, and one exploded near the man. [The Kansas City Star]